The Lincoln Town Car is one of three Ford models impacted by the new recall.
Ford is recalling 370,000 of its older, rear-drive models to correct a corrosion problem that could result in a loss of steering control.
The recall impacts the 2005 to 2011 Ford Crown Victory, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car models, all of which share the same full-size, rear-drive platforms. About 355,000 of them were sold in the U.S., another 15,000 in Canada.
The recall is focused on 22 Midwest, South-Central and Eastern Seaboard states, as well as the District of Columbia, where the use of salt can increase the risk of corrosion. But owners living in other states also can ask for an inspection and, if necessary, repairs.
Under the recall, Ford will notify owners in the coming weeks to bring their vehicles to dealers for inspection. The vehicles may require the replacement and adjustment of several steering components.
Ford has faced a number of recalls over the last year, notably for problems involving several of its newer models, including the Fusion sedan and Escape crossover-utility vehicle. However it lags behind Toyota, Honda and Chrysler which have faced some of the largest recalls in the industry over the last 12 months for a variety of problems ranging from fire hazards to defective airbags – as well as corrosion issues.
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Last year saw a surge in the total number of recalls, something industry observers suggest may be the result of a government crackdown in the wake of Toyota’s embarrassing unintended acceleration problems of 2010 and 2011. That has, in turn, led to a number of significant fines being levied against makers ranging from Toyota to BMW for failing to respond to safety issues in a timely manner as required by federal law.
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In many cases, manufacturers are now ordering service actions based solely on warranty data trends even if they do not see a spike in crash and injury numbers related to a specific repair problem. In the case of the Ford corrosion recall, the maker says it has received no reports of accidents or injuries due to the problem.